Implementing The 5 Point Plan To Tackle Sheep Lameness

Implementing The 5 Point Plan To Tackle Sheep Lameness

Author: Ruth Clements, FAI Farms

Lameness is a major animal welfare and economic challenge across the sheep sector, costing the UK industry alone an estimated £24 million a year. The most common cause of lameness in UK sheep flocks are footrot and scald, two infectious bacterial diseases. With an estimated 3 million sheep being lame at any one time FAI developed the Five Point Plan to help the industry meet the challenge of reducing lameness.

The Five Point Plan was developed by drawing together existing science on sheep lameness and practical experience from farmers who had achieved and sustained low levels of lameness. It consists of five action points that support the animal in three different ways: building resilience, reducing disease challenge and establishing immunity (Figure 1, Table 1).

Copyright FAI Farms 2014

The Plan

The Five Point Plan was developed by drawing together existing science on sheep lameness
and practical experience from farmers who had achieved and sustained low levels of
lameness. The 5 Point Plan has five action points that support the animal in three different
ways: building resilience, reducing disease challenge and establishing immunity.

Step
Cull badly or repeatedly affected animals

Relevance
By removing worst offenders, flock resilience to disease is increased.
Ewes with chronic misshapen feet likely to be a source of infection.

Implementation
Ewes treated more than once for foot-rot or scald should be cull tagged.
“Two strikes and you’re out” policy. Cull ewes with misshapen chronic
feet.

Step
Cull badly or repeatedly affected animals

Relevance
Minimising overall disease challenge for incoming and existing animals,
allowing time for inclusion to a vaccination and management
programme.

Implementation
Develop robust quarantine procedure to protect both existing ewes and the newcomers.

Step
Cull badly or repeatedly affected animals

Relevance
Minimising overall disease challenge for incoming and existing animals,
allowing time for inclusion to a vaccination and management
programme.